West Brom's Semi Ajayi talks positions, parents and how upbringing shaped career

The 30-year-old London born defender was a key figure at the heart of Albion's defence for his first few years at The Hawthorns.

However, last season he found game time hard to come by.

He featured 27 times for the club, mainly off the bench as he was unable to dislodge Kyle Bartley and Cedric Kipre.

There was a time though when the Nigerian international was trying to make his way at the other end of the pitch.

Speaking ahead of Nigeria's World Cup qualifier for South Africa, Ajayi opened up on his life and his early days in the game, and explained how things may have been different.

He said: "A number ten, that's everyone's dream position, the playmaker, the free role, you have the ability and freedom to express yourself to a maximum.

"I grew up as a striker and worked my way backwards. I was a striker, then midfielder, then No.10, then central midfielder, now a defender."

The Nigerian international has played over 150 times for Albion after arriving from Rotherham United back in 2019.

His days as a youth player came back in London with Charlton and Arsenal, and he explained how his upbringing helped shape his career.

He said: "In England, even though you might grow up in a tough area, you still have infrastructure to be able to express your ability.

"So no matter how poor you are you can go to a park and there will be a cage there, you can play football. The grass will be cut, even if there's no goal you can get your jumper and use them as goal posts, you can play football.

"And football is a sport when you don't really need to have money, you just need a ball and some friends.

"It's not like tennis, golf or swimming where you parents need to pay a lot of money for lessons, even me and my brother would just go in the garden and play football until we were tired.

"For me I had to balance the two, I had to make sure my academics remained top in order to continue playing football.

"If it dropped, then I would've had to stop playing football. My parents instilled in me it was important to do both but they never got in the way of my dreams. They made me understand my academics need to be top.

"They put me through the best schools, I went to grammar school, had really good grades and once it got to the point I needed to make a decision, they allowed me the freedom to make my own decision which I'm really grateful for. They definitely supported me the whole way through my career, they didn't let me sacrifice academics, they made sure I was focused on both."

Ajayi also opened up on his parents and how they have helped mould him into the person he is today.

And he explained how the values they have given him are ones he still uses at Albion.

He added: "I would say the upbringing from my parents, they would never let me be boastful or big-headed, they always installed in me the morals that nothing is given, it's always earned.

"As long as you're the best version of yourself and given the maximum, you can be happy.

"There is also a saying that what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room! So until they bring the cameras in, for me, I won't be the one that leaks the secret, it will be someone else.

"That's why they might say I'm a top team-mate, because I have everyone's back."